Don’t Drink the Kool-Aid…or Should You?
By Aaron Moore, MSN, RN-BC, travel nurse expert
In this political season, we are bombarded with so many “facts” about people. If you are anything like me, you try to take a comment for what it’s worth, only to get burned every now and then. The media can twist things the way they want and we can be too trusting. I’ve come to a point where I just don’t listen to the news anymore. If it’s important, someone will let me know, eventually.
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I dislike the fact that I can’t trust what I hear, and it is virtually impossible not to be exposed to conflicting opinions on topics ranging from food to who should be president. I have learned to fact-check most things I hear.
Just like a political statement, you should fact-check travel nursing. Not all travel nurse agencies are created equal, and I have seen several travelers fall short in their first assignment because they didn’t do their due diligence of researching.
There are many options out there and many opinions on the best staffing agencies for nurse travelers. What do YOU want out of YOUR experience? Are you looking for a move west, east, south, possibly just short-term, or are you like me and want to travel for many years to many destinations?
Ask yourself those basic questions then start looking. Some travel nurse agencies specialize in quick-start, shorter term assignments, ranging from 4-12 weeks, while many place the majority of their travel nurses in 13-week assignments. Some of the larger agencies have more options and can offer exclusive jobs at facilities that allow their nurses to have first priority for travel assignments. The personal connection you make with a recruiter may be the thing that seals the deal, though.
I’ve made this comparison before, but travel nursing is a bit like buying a car. You have to educate yourself, shop around and kick the tires.
Now sometimes you get lucky. The first person who called me back about traveling is still the recruiter I would go to today. I feel very fortunate to have traveled with the same nurse staffing company with all my assignments, as well. We were always able to find a common ground and work out a sweet deal for both of us.
I drank the Kool-Aid a long time ago when it comes to travel nursing. I’ve made it my goal to tell all the nurses I meet about it and the awesome adventures I had while travel nursing. It impacted my life in a way a mere “job” usually can’t. I went into nursing with the idea that I wanted to be a nurse traveler, and it paid off tenfold.
[Editor’s Note: TravelNursing.com’s staffing partners are certified by the Joint Commission and offer thousands of travel nursing jobs around the country.]
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